Staff Spotlight: Mr. Deleski-Taylor (DT)

I interviewed Mr. D.T. because in my opinion he is one of my favorite teachers, because he helps his students in a different way that not very much other teachers do so I appreciate the way he cares for his students and where their skill level is at and where is should be. All he is worried about is if you can better yourself as an individual. Since he wasn’t here to take the interview in person, I did an email interview, and these were his responses to my questions:

How would you help a student or class that doesn’t get the concept of the lecture or lesson?

When I have a class that doesn’t understand a concept, I go back to the foundations of the skill. Many times, this involves looking back at standards from previous grade levels. This helps me to identify where a student or class is currently at, and then I adjust my instruction to fit where they are at. During the review, I create a structure that allows students to practice the skill repeatedly, slowly moving up in difficulty. I will also do student conferences and workdays to address individual concerns.

What do you want to do after you retire, and why?

After I retire, I hope to own some properties and become a landlord. I’d love to travel the world. I like to do many jobs on the side whenever I have time such as freelance writing, so I would probably just dedicate more time to things I am passionate about.

Can you tell me about your family life?

I live with my Mini Australian Shepherd Bandit just a mile or so away from Northwest. I have 16 half/stepsiblings, so I spend a lot of time with them and close friends. No kids/significant other. I hang out with a few of my siblings once or twice weekly. However, we do tend to spend every holiday together, especially Thanksgiving.

If you weren’t an English teacher, what would you want to do as a career?

That’s a great question! I’m going to rephrase the question to say if I was not an educator, what would I be? If I weren’t an educator, I would probably work in business. Before becoming a teacher, I worked in sales, management, and accounts payable for a couple of organizations, and I always found it to be fun.

Lastly, what do you like to do outside of school, and why?

Outside work, I love playing pool and hanging out with friends and family. On a typical Saturday night, I’m normally at home hanging out with some friends, sitting around a fire pit, and having a pool tournament in my basement. I also love to play video games! I play on PlayStation 5. I tend to like to play COD, sports games, Sony Games, and other games that allow me to get a platinum. I currently have 6 platinum trophies. I’m working on earning the one for the new Call of Duty game. Also, I like to write, try new restaurants, travel when possible, watch sports, work out, and watch YouTube videos.”

I enjoyed asking Mr. D.T. these questions because it’s good to know that people like him like having fun outside of school/or work and enjoy life. Thank you for the interview, Mr. D. T.!